Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-02-03
KANSAS LETTER.

YATES CENTER, Kan, Jan. 25, 1887.
Here We are with Winter over half gone
and have had but two weeks of cold weather.
After my last letter to the NORTHWEST we
had beautiful weather until after Christmas.
During the holidays the weather was very
cold, and the cold lasted until week or ten
days had passed, when it became pleasant
and has remained SO ever since. Two or
three times it has blown up and acted as
though there was an old-fashioned blizzard
on hand, but it has not lasted more than
twenty -four hours at the most, when it has
always grown warmer instead of colder, and
would become spring like again. Saturday
the 22nd there was a hard spring shower, for
all evidences to the contrary, one would have
thought it was April, yet it did not turn cold
after it as was expected. The coldest it has
been here this winter, the, mercury ranged
| from 15 to % degrees below zero, according
to location, but that was only once. If had
not lived in Kansas seven years and was not
an "old settler" would be sure that spring
was at hand, but as it is, Twill withhold judg-
ment until April I look for rough weather
next month and in March to pay for our
| pleasant January. "''- .
Since last wrote, Yates Centre has taken
long step in advance in the march of i'm
provement, having secured the Santa Fe ex-
tension from Colony through Neosho Falls
and on to the South and West. That will
m AXE three roads for the town and will give
| much needed competition, besides furnish
ing two direct lines to Kansas City, the one
now being by way of Paoti, over the Missouri
Pacific, while this last way will be by way Of
Colony, over the Southern Kansas, of which
road this one is branch. The Southern
Kansas is reaching out in every direction
a ID is constantly seeking new fields of enter.
prise to conquer. I had the pleasure of hav.
ing along talk with s. B. Hynes, Gen. Pass
Ag't. of the s. K, while was on my way to
Topeka, during the holidays. He is a man
who has risen to his present position by his
force of character and unblemished integrity
Serving all through the war, its close left
him, as it did thousands of others, with nc
resources but his own energy. BY times
teaching school, editing newspaper and
acting as Eastern advertising agent of some
western road, the Santa Fe Think, he worked
himself onward and upward, until removing
to Kansas, he was at last put at the head oi
the most important interest of the Southern
Kansas-the, passenger department. A re.
mark he made to me, called out by reference
to the extravagant advertisements of some
railroads, of Kansas, shows the characteristic
trait of character inherent in him. Said he
II have made 1t arule ever sinceI connected
myself with the West, first by way Of acting
as adv ertising agent, and later in other ca
pacities, never to nisrepresent or exaggeratt
in any1matter whatever. No man can come
to me and say 4 did not find things here in
Kansas as you had me to suppose they would
be- for have always been careful to present
nothing but the exact truth as nearly as
could" The advertising agent of the road
now is E. T. Caldwell, of the X. s. o., know
him we'll, having been associated with him
in Y. M. O. A. work, at Lawrence, while we
both were at the University, and also from an
intimate acquaintance with him all the time
during the years was there. He too, is a
self-made made, having put himself through
the university earning the money for current
expenses wilhelm attendance at the school,
and graduating valedictorian of large class.